EDITION

Interns
Katherine Matthews
My name is Katherine Matthews. I joined The Peace Foundation as a intern
for the school and community mediation programmes. I have been working
alongside Christina Barruel assisting with the school trainings, observing first
hand the impact the programmes are having on our future generation. I have
also been assisting with evaluation research for the Cool Schools Peer Mediation
Programme which will be critical for awareness around the importance of
peaceful conflict resolution skills being taught in primary schools. Thank you
for this opportunity.
Lisa Leech
I am a people person with a fierce passion to help others create positive
change within themselves and a desire to make peaceful change globally
specifically against conflicts of war. The Peace Foundation posed a constructive
and challenging place to learn. I learnt how to understand people before
understanding their conflicts, which has been a vital lesson on a personal and
professional level.
Maricar Cristino
Mabuhay! I’m Maricar Cristino, better known as Maecie. I’m from the Philippines
and I was a student studying International Marketing. My background
in international relations and diplomacy is what drew me to join The Peace
Foundation, but seeing what they do and understanding why they do it is what
made me stay in the organisation. Now, with my new degree and additional
knowledge, I am ready to impart what I have learned from my internship experience to my colleagues
in the Philippines.
Alya Vasylenko
Alya Vasylenko is currently a bachelor student studying International Communication
at Hanze University, Netherlands. She is originally from Ukraine
and she speaks English, Ukrainian, Russian and Dutch. Alya has also acquired
a specialization in Law in Ukraine, thus communication is her second degree.
Recently, she spent six months in Sweden doing an exchange semester and
helping with communication projects at the University of Gothenburg. Alya
is excited to work for the Peace Foundation and she hopes that she can learn a lot about peace
education, communication and peaceful conflict resolution.
Jay Kapadiya
Jay Kapadiya is from Gujarat, India. He studies Graduate diploma in Applied
management at Otago Polytechnic and is currently an intern with The Peace
Foundation. Jay joined the Foundation in April 2016 as an Administration Assistant
and he hopes that he will gain further experience in his area. He is also
keen to learn more about peace education and communication. He is passionate
about music and plays guitar in his spare time. He is excited about being
with The Peace Foundation and working with the team.
Samantha McKinlay
Samantha McKinlay is currently a senior at the University of Florida, originally
from West Palm Beach, Florida. She will be receiving her Bachelors of
Science in Family, Youth, and Community Science with a minor in Sociology
next school semester. After receiving her degree her goal is to continue her
education and obtain a Masters in Clinical Social Work. During her time at the
University of Florida she has conducted undergraduate research on community
perceived preparedness among Floridian counties. She has been involved with local Gainesville
NGOs such as Big Brother’s Big Sisters of Mid-Florida and CDS Family & Behavioral Health
Services. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, music, and exploring nature. Samantha looks
forward to working along side the Peace Foundation in its efforts to teach peaceful conflictresolution
skills to both children and families alike.
New Staff ...
Staff and Interns
Alessandra Kuribara
Alessandra Kuribara
is The Peace
Foundation’s Web
Developer. She is
originally from
Sao Paulo, Brazil,
and has pursued
a career in Information Technology
(IT) after graduating from Centro
Universitario da Fundacao de Ciencias
Aplicadas with a Bachelor’s degree in
Business Administration. In her drive to
acquire deeper knowledge and skills in
this sector, she enrolled at the University
of California, Irvine, in 2008 to obtain
a certification in Oracle Database
Administration. She has also worked as
a DBA intern with EMPOWERTRAIN in
California. In the course of her IT career,
Alessandra has held various positions in
Sao Paulo including as a Programmer
with Telefonica, a Systems Analyst with
ABN AMRO Bank and a Senior Systems
Analyst with Consist Software. In Sao
Paulo, she ran her own business, FEAST
CATERING. Since arriving in Auckland
in May 2015, Alessandra has completed
a course at Cornell Institute of Business
and Technology, graduating with a
Diploma in Software Development. She
joined The Peace Foundation in October
2015, initially as an IT intern. Alessandra
enjoys travelling and baking in her spare
time.
Sandra Segall
Sandra Segall is a
Communications
Officer and Editor
at The Peace
Foundation. Prior
to joining our
team, she worked
as a journalist and communications
manager in Chile, where she also
co-headed a grassroots project for
women’s rights in Latin America. Sandra
holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Peace and
Conflict Studies from Umea University,
Sweden. She speaks fluent English,
Spanish and Swedish. Sandra frequently
writes on issues related to conflict
transformation and peacebuilding for
her blog Conflict & Identity.
2016 WINTER edition
MediationWORKS 13